Phew. If I had known it was going to be that hot I would have picked a flatter route. Everyone coped well, however, and we did over 50km in under 2 hours: pretty good, given the terrain. I estimate I was only on the front for about 20 per cent of the ride, which probably explains why the time was so good. Blowingstone exerted its usual sorting-hat effect. The climb from Lambourn to Ashbury was managed strongly, even with a headwind. And the undulations of the Springline Road caused a few gaps. As we were making good time, we extended the route through Goosey, Denchworth and Grove. That pint of shandy at the end tasted good.